GRANITE CITY — The U.S. Steel Corporation and SunCoke Energy Inc. recently donated $200,000 to Riverbend Head Start and Family Services.

The funds will be used for renovations at the two Granite City Head Start centers at 1249 20th St. and 2413 Corporate Center Dr.

The first of two renovation phases is already underway, the agency announced this week. Each center will receive upgrades to heating, venting and cooling systems. Work is taking place while Head Start students are on summer break. The first phase is projected for completion no later than August 5 before classroom programs and activities begin, the agency said in a press release.

Remaining funds will later be applied to the replacement of doors and windows in each of the centers in phase two of the renovation efforts.

U.S. Steel and SunCoke’s environmental trust is aimed at supporting local efforts to promote better air quality and energy efficiency. By awarding this grant to Riverbend Head Start, the initiative will provide approximately 400 babies, toddlers and preschoolers in Granite City a cleaner and healthier environment to grow and learn, the agency said.

In addition to building a healthier learning environment, the grant establishes an opportunity to educate Head Start children and their parents about the importance of air quality and energy efficiency. The agency and the Piasa Palisades Group of the Sierra Club are collaborating on plans for an educational workshop to take place during the 2016-17 school year.

Riverbend Head Start and Family Services currently operates six centers in Madison County and serves 850 at-risk children, ages birth to five. The mission is to empower those children and their families to develop positive skills to meet life’s challenges.

The organization is primarily funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additional community support is critical in achieving the goal of preparing impoverished children for success in kindergarten and throughout life.

The Piasa Palisades Group of the Sierra Club has its headquarters in Alton. The Sierra Club is the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization and was founded in 1892.